Nintendo: Hardcore gamers love Wii

Nintendo has claimed that the typical Wii gamer is as far removed from ‘casual’ as it gets – an adult male with an income of $50,000 or more a year.

At the Electronic Gaming Summit in Napa, California, Nintendo of America's executive VP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway told the crowd that the average Wii gamer is in fact a hardcore gamer.

According to Kotaku, Dunaway said that 79 per cent of Wii gamers are male, with most older than 18 with an income of $50,000 or more.

Whilst these Wii consumers tend to be pretty traditional gamers, the other household members who play Wii aren't, she said.

About 45 percent of other household members who play Wii are female, with 38 percent 25 or older.

"The real break-through, the real magic of the Wii console is that it brought new consumers into the game," she said.

"We in the industry have a choice to make, do we want to appeal to the few or to the masses? Do we want to sell to more people or sell more and more and more to less people? Do we want to be inclusive or do we want to be expansive? At Nintendo we definitely believe in the power of the expanded audience.

"We hope everyone will join us in showing everyone just how much fun video games can be."

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.